Protective case for mobile device with reinforcing support member

ABSTRACT

A protective case for a mobile device having a co-molded multi-layered construction having a first layer that generally forms the external back face surface of the case. A second layer generally forms the perimeter bumper of the case. The first layer is comprised of material that has a hardness and/or rigidity that is greater than the second layer. The layers are configured to interact with one another so that they are capable of distributing impact forces to mitigate damage to the mobile device. One or more reinforcing support members in the form of a beam or rod are provided and extend internally and longitudinally near the sides of the case and preferably near the long sides of a rectangular shaped case. The reinforcing support members are formed of even harder or more rigid materials, such as metal alloy or cured fiber reinforced composite rods or beams, relative to the first and second layer and are capable of providing additional support and rigidity to the mobile device to stop or mitigate unintentional or undesired bending of the mobile device.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/865,233,filed Sep. 25, 2015, which claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) fromU.S. Provisional Application No. 62/056,477, filed on Sep. 26, 2014. Theabove applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety and are to be considered as a part of this specification.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

This patent document relates to user removable protective enclosures orcases for mobile electronic devices and more particularly to such casesthat have a reinforcing support member.

Description of the Related Art

Mobile consumer electronic products, such as smart and cellular phones,computing tablets, MP3/audio/video players, gaming devices and laptopsare continuously and rapidly evolving to meet expanding consumerdemands. Typically, such devices include an external enclosure orencasing that house the electronics of the device and an interactivetouchscreen on one or more faces of the device. With each passing day,such devices are becoming more and more powerful, connected, andinteractive; employ bigger and bigger screens and better and morenumerous cameras; and now run what is seemingly countless specificapplications and features that address any conceivable need. Indeed,they are becoming so commonplace in today's society that it is now hardto remember life without them.

Manufacturers, while racing to provide such enhanced functionality, arealso increasingly very sensitive to increases in the overall weight andbulkiness of their devices. As a result they are decreasing thethickness to offset increases in screen size. For example, the mostrecent generation of iPhone 6 Plus, introduced in September 2014, isjust over half the thickness of the original iPhone (1^(st) generation)introduced in 2007, yet provides approximately double the screen space.As a result, these devices, which are commonly encased within metallichousings, are becoming more and more susceptible to undesirable orunintentional bending, which can impair the functionality of the screenand buttons, and/or expose or damage the electronics within the device.

The inventors here have recognized, therefore, that there is a need todevelop protective cases for such mobile electronic devices that arecapable of providing additional reinforcing support to mitigate orprevent bending of the device while minimizing bulkiness and weight andyet maintain a high level of protection.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed are numerous aspects of a unique and inventive protective caseconfigured to receive, retain and protect a mobile device that includesa front face and a back face that define the height or thickness of themobile device, a perimeter defined by top-end, bottom-end, right, andleft sides residing between the front and back faces, and cornersdefined at the intersecting regions of the sides. The case may be for amobile electronic device that is in the form of a tablet, a mobilephone, an MP3 audio player, a gaming device, or other portable handheldelectronic device and may have one or more touchscreens on its frontface and/or back face.

The protective case is, in a first aspect, comprised of three primarycomponents, a bottom shell portion, an upper portion, and one or morereinforcing support members. The bottom shell portion is dimensioned andconfigured to reside below the back side or face of the electronicdevice. The upper portion generally extends from the bottom shellportion and is dimensioned and configured to cover at least a portion ofone or more sides and/or a portion or a perimeter portion of the frontface of the mobile device. In an illustrated implementation, the one ormore reinforcing support members are housed or otherwise located andretained within the bottom shell portion.

The bottom shell portion may be co-molded with the upper portion asrespective first and second layers, wherein the bottom shell portionlayer may be made of a material that is more rigid than the co-moldedupper portion layer. The bottom shell portion may be formed, forexample, of a polycarbonate (PC) material while the upper portion layermay be formed of less rigid thermoplastic urethane (TPU), athermoplastic elastomer (TPE), an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS),nylon, silicone rubber or a combination thereof. Additional layers mayalso be co-molded or otherwise incorporated into the protective case.

The reinforcing support member may be formed of a third material that isdifferent from either the material that forms the bottom shell portionor the material that forms the upper portions and may provide additionalsupport and rigidity to the mobile device via the protective case. It iscontemplated, for example, that the reinforcing support member may beformed of metal or metal alloy such as a steel, stainless steel,tungsten, titanium or magnesium alloy and/or may be formed of acomposite (hardened or cured) fiber reinforced structure or lay-up ofdirectionally oriented fibers and/or non-directionally oriented (e.g.,randomly oriented) fibers with or without an internal core component orsubstrate. The reinforcing support members may be circular, oval, squareor rectangular in cross-section or a combination thereof and may beuniform in size and shape or may vary in size and shape from one regionto another of the support member.

The one or more reinforcing support members may be co-molded with thebottom shell and/or upper portions and/or may be inserted after moldingwithin a cavity formed within the components. The reinforcing supportmembers, in another aspect, may be formed of a material that is morerigid and/or may be a greater bending stiffness than the material thatforms either the bottom shell portion or the upper portion of the case.

The reinforcing support members may be constructed uniformly along itslongitudinal length or may be constructed with greater or lesserrigidity along its length by increasing its dimensions and/or by virtueof selection of construction materials at a particular longitudinalregion. For example, the reinforcing support member may be formed morerigidly near the regions that are configured to be positioned adjacentthe buttons of the electronic device (e.g., volume buttons) by, forexample, increasing the dimensions of the reinforcing support member inthose adjacent residing regions.

In one aspect, the protective case may be manufactured by placing thereinforcing support members (e.g., steel rods) in a mold configured todefine the shape of the bottom shell portion. The reinforcing supportmembers may run the full length or the majority of the length of thecase and/or the electronic device that the case is configured toreceive. The reinforcing support members may be positioned within thecase so as to be configured to run lengthwise near or under thelongitudinally extending edges of the electronic device so as to extendbetween the top and the bottom ends or sides of the device and/or caseon the right and/or left sides thereof.

Multiple reinforcing support members may be employed and each may beformed of the same and/or different materials and may be positionedalong or under the left and/or right sides of the electronic device orpositioned more centrally and inwardly from the side walls. Once thereinforcing members are positioned in the desired location in the mold,the mold can be injected with a first polymer material (e.g. PC) on topof the reinforcing support members to form the bottom shell portioncontaining there within the reinforcing support members to form a firstmolded construct. The first molded construct is then inserted intoanother mold that is configured to form the upper portion of the case.Once the first molded construct is positioned in the second mold, thesecond mold is injected with a second more pliable polymer material(e.g. TPU) that is co-molded to the first molded construct and the firstpolymer material.

The one or more reinforcing support members may be housed within thebottom shell portion base section of the wall structure (e.g., referencenumeral 220, best seen in FIG. 4) without increasing the thickness ofthe wall. Alternatively, as illustrated in the drawings, the bottomshell portion (e.g., reference numeral 300, also best seen in FIG. 4)may be configured to include one or more outwardly extending protrusions(e.g., reference numeral 360 in the drawings) that house the one or morereinforcing support members. The outwardly extending protrusions may beconfigured to extend lengthwise along the backside of the case andprotrude outwardly in a direction away from the back face of theelectronic device so as to create ridges, footings or rails (e.g.,reference 362, best illustrated in FIGS. 1C-1D and FIG. 5B) on thebackside of the case that are capable of elevating the electronic deviceabove a resting surface, which may further protect the electronic devicefrom accidental spills by elevating it from the surface upon which thecase is resting. The outward protrusions may be configured includeapertures that allow visibility to the reinforcing member(s) housedtherein. In this way the user may be able to visibly detect whether thereinforcing member is fractured or stressed or whether it remains soundoperating condition.

The outwardly extending protrusions on the back side of the bottom shellmay be constructed with multiple reinforcing support members of the sameor different configurations and constructed with the same or differentmaterials. Alternatively, the outwardly extending protrusions may beconstructed without the incorporation of any reinforcing support member.In the later construction, the outward protrusions extending lengthwiseon the backside of the bottom shell portion may provide additionalsupport and rigidity to the mobile device via the protective case.

It should be understood that each of the foregoing and various aspects,together with those set forth in the claims and summarized above orotherwise disclosed herein, including the drawings, may be combined toform claims for a device, apparatus, system, method of manufacture,and/or use without limitation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects and advantages are described belowwith reference to the drawings, which are intended to illustrate but notto limit the invention. In the drawings, like reference characters ornumerals denote corresponding features consistently throughout disclosedembodiments.

FIGS. 1A-1F are front face, back face, left side, right side, top sideand bottom side views, respectively, of one embodiment of a protectivecase for a mobile device in accordance with the teachings herein. Theprotective case depicted is configured or dimensioned to receive andretain an Apple iPhone 6 plus® smart phone (see www.apple.com), a devicethat is well known to those in the art

FIG. 2 is a front face perspective view of the protective caseillustrated in FIGS. 1A-1F.

FIGS. 3A-3B are front and back perspective views, respectively, of theprotective case illustrated in FIG. 2 showing the first layer, secondlayer and the reinforcing support member components of the case beingseparated from one another. FIG. 3C is a right side view of theprotective case illustrated in FIG. 2 illustrating those same componentsseparated from one another.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along plane A-A of FIG. 2 showingin greater detail the construction of the protective case and therelationship and configuration of the first layer, second layer and thereinforcing support member components.

FIGS. 5A-5B are front and back face end perspective views, respectively,of another embodiment of the protective case for a mobile device thatfurther illustrate the construction of the protective case and therelationship of the first layer, second layer and reinforcing supportmembers.

FIG. 6 is front face view of one embodiment of the protective case for amobile device that further illustrate the tabs and interlockingmechanism thereof.

Each drawing is generally to scale and hence relative dimensions of thevarious layers can be determined from the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As summarized above and illustrated in the drawings, disclosed hereinare various aspects of a protective case for a mobile device capable ofproviding additional reinforcing support to mitigate or prevent bendingof the device while minimizing bulkiness and weight, yet maintaining ahigh level of protection. Aspects of which are summarized above andillustrated in the drawings.

Commonly disclosed in FIGS. 1-6 is a protective enclosure or case 200for a mobile device (not shown) that illustrate, by way of example only,various of the configuration and construction aspects of the case. Inthis particular implementation, the case is configured for an AppleiPhone 6 plus® mobile or smart phone device. It should be understood,however, that the case may be configured for any mobile device orelectronic device, including but not limited to portable or cellularphones, PDAs, MP3 or audio/video devices, gaming devices, laptopcomputers or computing tablet devices. The case 200 is generallycomprised of a multilayered construction comprising layers 300, 500 ofrelatively different rigidity, and one or more reinforcing supportmembers 400 extending there-through and being formed of an even morerigid material.

As best depicted in FIGS. 1A-1F, the protective case 200 includes frontand back face walls 210, 220 and left-side and right-side walls 230, 240and top-side and bottom-side walls 250, 260, respectively. The sidewalls 230, 240, 250, 260 reside between the front and back faces. Eachof the walls 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260 are dimensioned to correspondin dimension to the front and back faces, and left, right, top andbottom sides of a mobile device, respectively. In the illustratedembodiment, the case 200 is generally rectangular in shape extendinglongitudinally from the bottom to the top side walls 260, 250 with theleft and right sides 230, 240 being the opposing long sides and the topand bottom sides 250, 260 being the opposing short sides of therectangle

More specifically, the front face wall 210 is defined by inner and outersurfaces 211, 212 and includes an inwardly projecting retention lip orrim 214 (best illustrated in the cross-sectional views of FIG. 4). Theretention rim 214 is positioned to reside over the perimeter region ofthe front face of the mobile device to assist in retaining the mobiledevice within the case 200. The retention rim 214 may encircle a portionor the entire perimeter of the front face of the mobile device. Forexample the retention rim 214 may be configured to extend at regions ofthe top, bottom, left and/or right sides of the mobile device in anycombination thereof. The back face wall 220 is also defined by inner andouter surfaces 221 and 222 and may include a camera lens and flashopening or aperture 224 extending there-through.

The left side and right side walls 230, 240 are also each defined byinner and outer surfaces 231, 232 and 241, 242, respectively. The leftside wall 230 may further include volume control buttons 234, which likethe other buttons described herein, are positioned, dimensioned,configured and adapted to being depressed by the user so as to interfaceand actuate the volume control buttons on the mobile device, yet revertback to the undepressed position when the user removes pressure from thebutton. Also included in the left side wall 230 can be an opening oraperture 236 that is positioned and dimensioned to correspond with theringer silent switch of the mobile device to provide functional useraccess to the switch. The right side wall 240 may include a power button243 that is positioned, dimensioned, configured and adapted to interfacewith the power button on the mobile device. It is contemplated that anyof the side walls may include additional apertures and/or buttons toprovide access or control over corresponding ports or buttons on themobile device should the device have such controls or ports on thatside.

The top side and bottom side walls 250, 260 are also each defined byinner and outer surfaces 251, 252 and 261, 262 respectively. The topside wall 250 may include (although not depicted) a mobile device buttonpositioned, dimensioned, configured, and adapted to interface with acorresponding button on the mobile device. The buttons on the case mayreside within and be connected to an aperture in a levered manner at oneend or at a mid-section of the aperture, such that when pressed, thebutton hinges around the lever connection. The bottom side wall 260 mayinclude aperture 264 positioned and dimensioned to correspond with thespeaker grill regions on the mobile device. The bottom side wall 260 mayfurther include a headphone jack/microphone and data/charging portapertures 266, 267 that are positioned and dimensioned to correspondwith the headphone jack port and microphone opening and the data andcharging port, respectively. Collectively the side walls 230, 240, 250,260 define a perimeter 270 between the front and back faces 210, 220 ofthe protective case 200.

As previously noted, the case 200 may be formed of a multilayeredconstruction that includes two layers 300, 500 that are co-moldedtogether to form a unitary integral construct. Various aspects of theselayers and their inter-relationship, construction and manufacture aredescribed in more detail.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 3A-3C, the first layer 300, which forms thelower or bottom shell portion, is defined by first inner and outersurfaces 310, 311, respectively, and dimensioned to cover the back faceof the mobile device. The first layer 300 is configured to extend to theperimeter of the mobile device at the back face boundary, which is theperimeter defined by the intersection of the side walls and the backface of the mobile device.

The first layer 300 may further include a plurality of upward extendingprotrusions 330 positioned along the perimeter region of the first layer300 to correspond in location with the corners and certain portions ofthe side regions of the mobile device. The upward extending protrusions330 are dimensioned to reside at a height that is slightly below theheight of the mobile device at those regions. However, it iscontemplated that one, some or all of the upward extending protrusions330 may be configured to extend at, below, or above the height of themobile device in any combination.

The first layer 300 or bottom shell portion may be configured to coverthe entire, a majority, half or less than half of the back face of themobile device and may be configured to extend to or around the entire, amajority, half or less than half of the perimeter of the mobile deviceat the back face boundary.

In the illustrated implementation, the first layer 300 is configured tocover nearly the entire back face of the mobile device, with theexception of the flash and camera lens window aperture 224 and theentire perimeter of the back face. It should be understood, however,that alternative configurations may be employed. Perimeter regions inthe first layer 300 that reside between one or more of the corners maybe removed. Mid-section regions of the layer 300 may be removed to allowfor access to, or user utilization of, user controls, additionaltouchscreen interface, and/or other device features (e.g., speakers,cameras, lights, microphone, etc.) that are located on the side wallsand/or back face of the mobile device.

The first layer 300 may further include one or more outwardly andrearwardly extending protrusions 360. The outwardly extendingprotrusions 360 are configured to extend longitudinally along opposingsides lengthwise on the backside of the case outwardly away from thebackside of the electronic device housed therein. Each of the outwardlyextending protrusions 360 may include one or more retention cavities 370that extend longitudinally with the length of the outwardly extendingprotrusion 360. Each of the cavities 370 is dimensioned to receive andhouse a reinforcing support member 400. The outwardly extendingprotrusions may also include one or more windows or apertures 380 thatallow the reinforcing member to be visual seen by the user to facilitatevisual detection as to whether a reinforcing member is fractured orstressed or to confirm that it remains undamaged and in sound condition.

FIGS. 5A-5B are front and back face end perspective views, respectively,of another embodiment of the protective case for a mobile device thatfurther illustrate the construction of the protective case and therelationship of the first layer, second layer and reinforcing supportmembers. As shown in FIG. 5A, the front face of the protective caseincludes cavities 370 (see also FIGS. 3B-3C) to reveal the reinforcingsupport member 400. In another embodiment, no cavity is formed in thefront face of the protective case, however, the first layer 300 may bemade of a transparent or semi-transparent material to reveal thereinforcing support member 400 (formed of a darker or distinctly coloredmaterial residing there beneath).

FIG. 6 is front face view of one embodiment of the protective case 200for a mobile device. As shown in FIG. 6, the front face of theprotective case may include tabs 580 extending from the second layer 500along the left and right side walls and overlaying a portion of theinner surface 310 of the first layer 300 to provide additional support.Although each of the tabs 580 are shown as a continuous piece on eachside, it is also contemplated that a break or breaks may be applied toeach of the tabs so that each side can have multiple tabs. The tabs 580may have apertures 590 sized to receive elevated protrusion members 390extending from the inner surface 310 of the first layer 300 to forminterlocking mechanism.

The reinforcing support member 400 may be made of any suitable materialor combination of materials. It is contemplated, for example, that theone or more reinforcing support members may be formed of metal or metalalloy such as a steel, stainless steel, tungsten, titanium or magnesiumalloy and/or may be formed of a composite fiber reinforced structure orlay-up of directionally oriented fibers and/or non-directionallyoriented (e.g., randomly oriented) fibers with or without an internalcore component or substrate. The reinforcing support members maycircular, oval, square or rectangular in cross-section. The purpose ofthe reinforcing support member 400 is to provide additional support andrigidity to the phone via the protective case 200.

The second layer 500, which forms the upper portion, is also defined byinner and outer surfaces 510, 511, respectively. The second layer 500 isgenerally more flexible and is dimensioned to cover the top, bottom,right and/or left sides of the mobile device and forms the inwardlyprojecting lip or rim 214 of the front face wall 210 that serves toextend over the perimeter of the front face of the mobile device so asto assist in retaining the device within the case 200.

While in the illustrated embodiment, the second layer 500 extends aroundthe entire perimeter of the mobile device, it may be configuredelsewise. Thus, it is contemplated that the second layer 500 may coverthe entire, a majority, half or less than half of the top, bottom, rightand/or left sides of the mobile device and/or may be configured toextend around less than the entire, a majority, half or less than halfof the perimeter of the mobile device in any combination. The secondlayer 500 includes the one or more mobile device control apertures thatextend through the layer and/or control buttons (e.g., 234, 236, 243,264, 266, 267) that are dimensioned and positioned to allow access toand/or control to the control buttons and/or ports (e.g., power button,volume button, ringer silent switch, headphone jack, microphone opening,speaker grill, and data/charging port) on the mobile device. The secondlayer 500 may also further include one or more overlapping indentations540 in the inner surface 510 at regions configured to reside at portionsof the sides and corners of the mobile device. The indentations 540 areconfigured or molded so as to be in the negative image of the upwardextending protrusions.

While, the first and second layers 300, 500 may be co-molded to form anintegrated construction, it should be understood that it is contemplatedthat only portions of one or more of the layers may be co-molded, oreach of the layers may be separately formed and mechanically attached toone another by clips, snaps or latches between each of the components orbetween for example the third layer and the first layer. A combinationof co-molding and mechanical attachment of the layers or portionsthereof may also be employed.

In a fully integrated or co-molded construction, the case 200 would beproperly dimensioned and have sufficient flexibility to allow the userto insert and remove the mobile device without damaging to the case 200or the device. The flexibility may be implemented via the constructionmaterials employed (e.g., having a relatively softer more pliable uppershell portion and more rigid bottom shell portion to allow the device tobe inserted into the window defined by the upper shell) and theconfiguration of the layers or components.

When the components are modular or separable from one another, the usermay wrap the second layer around the mobile device and then clip thefirst layer into position onto the second layer and around the device,or vice versa (e.g., position the device into the first layer and clipthe second layer into the first layer around the device). The clips,snaps, hooks, or other mechanical attachments may be formed or moldedinto: (a) two or more of the layers at their perimeter regions, (b) oneor more of the upwardly extending protrusions 330 and/or indentions 540in the first and second layers 300, 500, (c) the control buttons 234 andcorresponding apertures on the first and second layers 300, 500 and/or(d) at any region where two layers are in contact or in proximity to oneanother. Thus, a combination of co-molding and/or mechanical attachmentof the layers may be employed.

The materials that form the layers may be selected based on theirhardness or rigidity. For example, the first layer 300 may be made of afirst material that has a first hardness or rigidity, and the secondlayer 500 (including the tabs 580) may be made of a second material thathas a second hardness or rigidity that is different from the firsthardness. In a preferred implementation, the first hardness is greaterthan the second hardness and the first rigidity is greater than thesecond rigidity.

The first and second layers 300, 500 may be formed of a compositioncomprised of one or more materials including but not limited topolycarbonate; thermoplastic urethane (TPU), thermoplastic elastomer(TPE), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), nylon, metal, siliconerubber, or any combination thereof. For example, the first layer 300,which is the harder and more rigid of the two layers, may be formed of acomposition comprised of polycarbonate (PC), a combination ofpolycarbonate and ABS, nylon, fiber reinforced plastic, and/or metal.The second layer 500, which is the relatively less rigid, softer layer,may be formed, for example, of a composition comprised of TPU and/or TPEor combination thereof or other polymer or suitable material.

In a preferred implementation, the first layer 300 may have a Shore Adurometer hardness that is 50% or more greater than the second layer500, 40% or more greater than the second layer 500, 30% or more greaterthan the second layer, 20% or more greater than the second layer, or 10%or more greater than the second layer all +/−5% as measured using theAmerican Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard D2240. Thefirst layer may have a Shore A durometer hardness of 100+/−15, 100+/−10,or 100+/−5, or 100 as measured using the American Society for Testingand Materials (ASTM) standard D2240. The second layer may have a Shore Adurometer hardness of 65+/−15, 65+/−10, 65+/−10, or 65 as measured usingthe American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard D2240. Itshould be understood that the two layers may be formed of materialshaving a Shore A hardness that is comprised of any combination ofhardness described above. Thus, for example the first layer may beformed of a material having a Shore A durometer hardness that is 100+/−5while the second layer may be formed of a different material having ashore A durometer hardness of 65+/−15.

Each of the one or more reinforcing support members 400 may bepreferably formed of a material that is even more rigid and harder thanthe material that forms either the first layer/bottom shell portion 300or the second layer/upper portion 500. It is also preferable that thesupport members 400 be relatively small, for example for the iPhone 6Plus case as illustrated, preferably 3 mm and/or less in cross-sectionalwidth, height or diameter to avoid adding bulk, and even more preferably2.5 mm or less in cross-sectional width, height, and/or diameter, andyet even more preferably 2 mm or less in cross-sectional width, height,and/or diameter, and yet even more preferably 1.5 mm and/or less incross-sectional width, height, and/or diameter, and yet even morepreferably 1.0 mm and/or less in cross-sectional width, height, ordiameter. The cross-section being understood to be taken at a planecutting transversely at a right angle to the longest axis of the member400.

A method of manufacturing the protective case 200 for a mobile device isalso disclosed. The case may be manufactured by placing the reinforcingsupport members 400 (e.g., steel rod) in a mold configured to define theshape of the bottom shell portion 300. The reinforcing support members300 are dimensioned and positioned in the desired manner relative to theconfiguration of the bottom shell portion 300. For example, they may bedimensioned and positioned to run lengthwise near or under thelongitudinally extending edges of the electronic device so as to extendbetween the top to the bottom sides or ends of the device and/or case onthe right and/or left sides thereof. Multiple reinforcing supportmembers may employed that are formed of the same and/or differentmaterials (which may be harder or more rigid than one or more of theother members 400 employed in the case 200) and may be positioned alongor under the left and/or right sides of the electronic device orpositioned more centrally and inwardly from the left and right sidewalls 230 and 240, respectively.

Thus, it is contemplated, for example, that multiple reinforcing supportmembers 400 may be employed and that those members may be formed ofmaterials that have the same, or different hardness and rigidity.Staggering or stepping the hardness or rigidity or other materialproperties of multiple reinforcing support members 400 incorporated intothe case, allows flexibility in the manner the case 200 performs understress to resist bending. Thus, for example, the user couldinadvertently stress the electronic device (e.g., by sitting on it orjamming it into a brief case), the force could fracture or visiblystrain one (e.g., the more rigid member) of reinforcing support members400 but may be insufficient to visibly strain or fracture anothersupport member 400 (e.g., the less rigid member). The electronic devicecould therefore continue to be afforded reinforcement and protection,yet the user would be warned by virtue of the visible fracture or strainon the deformed reinforcing support member that undue stress has beenapplied to the device and can therefore take corrective measures toavoid damaging the device.

Similarly, the use of materials having different physical properties mayprovide additional advantages. For example, a metal rod may be employedto form one of the support members and a more rigid polymer (or fiberreinforced polymer) may be employed to form another of the supportmembers having a greater bending stiffness than the member formed of themetal rod. The case 200 could, therefore, be capable of providing strongresistance to bending forces via the more rigidly formed supportmember(s), yet the one or more malleable metal rods that form the othersupport members 400 may continue to provide support even when those morerigid members fracture or fail under excessive stress. Additionally, theuser could bend the metal rods, to the extent deformed, back intoalignment, even though the more rigid polymer members have beenfractured. The case thereby may continue to provide the device addedreinforcement support.

While the illustrated embodiment depicts two support members 400extending on opposing sides of the case along the left and right longsides of the case 200, it should be understood that the case 200 mayemploy fewer or more support members and that one or more such supportmembers may be oriented diagonally or perpendicularly to the long-sideof the case. Such diagonally and/or perpendicularly oriented supportmembers may be in addition to those oriented lengthwise as depicted ormay be employed instead of one or more of the lengthwise orientedsupport members.

Once the one or more reinforcing members 400 are positioned in thedesired location in the mold, the mold is injected with a first polymermaterial (e.g. PC) on top of the reinforcing support members 400 to forma first molded construct in the form the bottom shell portion 300 andthe reinforcing support members 400 contained or housed therein. Thefirst molded construct is then inserted into another mold compartmentthat is configured to form the upper portion 500 of the case 200. Oncethe first molded construct is positioned in the second mold, the secondmold is injected with a second more pliable polymer material (e.g. TPU)that is co-molded to the first molded construct and the first polymermaterial to thereby form second molded construct, which in theillustrated embodiment would be the case 200.

While the illustrated embodiment is described as being formed of twoco-molded layers, it should be understood that additional layers may bemolded to form the case and that any of the molded constructs could beincorporated into another molded or unmolded component such as a walletor folio. In addition, while the illustrated embodiment is described asincorporating reinforcing support members in the bottom portion of theshell 300, it should be understood that the reinforcing support membersmay be incorporated into the upper shell portion 500 along one or moreof the side walls or along overlapping regions of the upper and lowershell portions and that incorporating such reinforcing support membersinto the supper shell portion 500 may be in addition or as a substituteto those in the lower shell portion 300. To the extent reinforcingsupport members are incorporated into the upper shell portion 500, thosemembers may be positioned in the mold in the desired location when theupper portion 500 is molded. The upper portion 500 could be moldedbefore or after the lower portion 300, and then the two portions beingco-molded together to form an integral case construct.

When reinforcing support members 400 are incorporated into the upperportion 500, such members may be incorporated into one, two, three orall four sidewalls 230, 240, 250, 260 lengthwise along a portion or theentirety of the sidewalls and/or into the front face wall 210. Thereinforcing support members 400, for example, may be incorporated to runlengthwise along the base of any, some or all of the sidewalls, and/ormay run lengthwise along the mid or upper region of those sidewallsnearer the front face wall 210. When such members 400 are incorporatedinto the front face wall 210, such members 400 may run lengthwise onone, two, three, or four sides of the front face wall 210 and may becontained or co-molded within the inwardly projecting rim or lip 214. Inorder to provide flexibility in the upper portion 500 to facilitateinsertion and removal of the mobile device into and out of the case 200,it may be preferable not to include such members 400 in all the sides orportions of the upper regions, such as the corner regions and/or regionssurrounding the buttons and apertures.

Reinforcing support members 400 may be incorporated into the case 200with reference to structural analysis of the mobile device. Thus, forexample such reinforcing support members 400 may be incorporated in thecase to be configured to be at or near regions of the mobile device thatare prone to bending, such as around end regions or underlying areas ofstructural weakness such as near buttons or apertures. Thus, a preferredimplementation would include one or more reinforcing support members 400that are configured to reside in proximity to such areas of structuralweakness.

The various aspects relating to configuration and construction of eachof the two component layers described above or otherwise herein and/orillustrated in the drawings may be formed during the molding process.

Each of the foregoing and various aspects, or teachings herein togetherwith those set forth in the claims and described in connection with theembodiments of the protective cases summarized above or otherwisedisclosed herein including the drawings may be combined to form claimsfor a device, apparatus, system, method of manufacture, and/or usewithout limitation.

Although the various inventive aspects are herein disclosed in thecontext of certain preferred embodiments, implementations, and examples,it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the presentinvention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to otheralternative embodiments and/or uses of the invention and obviousmodifications and equivalents thereof. In addition, while a number ofvariations of the various aspects have been shown and described indetail, other modifications, which are within their scope will bereadily apparent to those of skill in the art based upon thisdisclosure. It should be also understood that the scope this disclosureincludes the various combinations or sub-combinations of the specificfeatures and aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, such that thevarious features, modes of implementation, and aspects of the disclosedsubject matter may be combined with or substituted for one another.Thus, it is intended that the scope of the present invention hereindisclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodimentsor implementations described above, but should be determined only by afair reading of the claims.

Similarly, this method of disclosure, is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that any claim require more features than areexpressly recited in that claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive aspects lie in a combination of fewer than allfeatures of any single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claimsfollowing the Detailed Description are hereby expressly incorporatedinto this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as aseparate embodiment.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing a multi-layeredreinforced protective case for a mobile device, said protective casebeing configured to reversibly attach to the external housing of saidmobile device; said method comprising the steps of: i) positioning oneor more longitudinally extending reinforcing support members into afirst mold compartment; ii) forming a first molded construct byinjecting the first mold compartment with a first polymer materialaround at least portions of the said one or more reinforcing supportmembers positioned in the first mold compartment to form a first shellportion including therein the reinforcing support members; iii)providing a second mold compartment containing the first moldedconstruct, said second mold compartment being configured to define atleast a portion of the external shape of the protective case; iv)forming a second molded construct by injecting a second polymer materialon top of the first molded construct; and v) allowing said first andsecond molded constructs to harden, wherein said second polymer materialwhen hardened is less rigid than said first polymer material whenhardened and wherein said reinforcing support members are formed of amaterial that is more rigid than said hardened first polymer material.2. A method of manufacturing a multi-layered reinforced protective casefor a mobile device, said protective case being configured to reversiblyattach to said mobile device; said method comprising the steps of: i)positioning a first and a second reinforcing support member into a firstmold compartment configured to define at least a portion of the externalshape of the protective case, each of said first and second reinforcingsupport members are in the form of a longitudinally extending beamhaving a length and a cross-sectional area and each is positioned withinthe first mold compartment so that they are spaced apart from oneanother and generally parallel to one another in orientation; ii)forming a first molded construct by injecting the first mold compartmentwith a first polymer material around the reinforcing the first andsecond reinforcing support members positioned in the first moldcompartment so as to form a first shell component including therein thefirst and second reinforcing support members; iii) providing a secondmold compartment containing the first molded construct, said second moldcompartment also being configured to define at least a portion of theexternal shape of the protective case; iv) forming a second moldedconstruct by injecting a second polymer material on top of the firstmolded construct to form a second shell component; and v) allowing thefirst and second molded constructs to harden, wherein said secondpolymer material when hardened is less rigid than said first polymermaterial when hardened and wherein each of said first and secondreinforcing support members are formed of material that is more rigidthan said hardened first polymer material.
 3. The manufacturing methodof claim 2, wherein the first reinforcing support member is formed of ametal beam and the second reinforcing support member is formed of alongitudinally extending polymer beam.
 4. The manufacturing method ofclaim 3, wherein at least one of said metal or polymer beam has acircular cross-sectional area.
 5. The manufacturing method of claim 3,wherein at least one of said metal or polymer beam has a hexagonalcross-sectional area.
 6. The manufacturing method of claim 3, wherein atleast one of said metal or polymer beam has a rectangularcross-sectional area.
 7. The manufacturing method of claim 3, wherein atleast one of said metal or polymer beam has a square cross-sectionalarea.
 8. The manufacturing method of claim 3, wherein at least one ofsaid metal or polymer beam has an oval cross-sectional area.
 9. Themanufacturing method of claim 3, wherein said metal beam has differentcross-sectional areas than said polymer beam.
 10. The manufacturingmethod of claim 2, wherein a third reinforcing support member is moldedinto said first or second molded construct and wherein said thirdreinforcing support member is oriented diagonally relative to said firstand second reinforcing members.
 11. The manufacturing method of claim10, wherein a fourth reinforcing support member is molded into saidfirst or second molded construct and wherein said fourth reinforcingsupport member is oriented perpendicularly relative to said first,second or third reinforcing members.